Have you ever dreamed of maintaining a very special bond with a member of a royal family? In Belgium, it is possible. The King and the Queen of the Belgians are godfather or godmother of several citizens, as part of a unique tradition. But this favor is not granted to any newborn.
Indeed, “the king and the queen are traditionally godfather or godmother of the seventh son or the seventh daughter in a family, provided that this succession of boys or girls is uninterrupted”, specifies the site of the Belgian monarchy. This sponsorship is therefore granted to the seventh consecutive son, or to the seventh consecutive daughter, of a family, the latter having to be “established in Belgium for a sufficiently long period”.
It is a royal favor, so there is no automatic granting.
Belgian monarchy site
Please note, however, this sponsorship is not systematically granted. “This is a royal favor, there is therefore no automatic granting,” said the monarchy site. A good life and manners’ survey is notably accomplished before the family, in order to ensure its stability and its integrity.
Repopulate Belgium and strengthen links
This unique tradition initially had a very specific goal. Originally, this royal sponsorship aimed to encourage Belgian families to have more children, with the aim of repopulating the population. Established by King Léopold Iᵉʳ, who reigned over the kingdom between 1831 and 1865, the custom was widespread under King Leopold II. It was not until Queen Elisabeth before the seventh consecutive girls of a family were also granted the favor.
-Highly symbolic, this tradition contributes to strengthening the links between the royal family and Belgian citizens and is perceived as an honor and recognition from the monarchy.
Royal gifts
To obtain this royal sponsorship, the procedures are often taken by the bourgmestre of the family of residence of the family, even if the parents can themselves contact the palace. If the latter have no obligation as to the first name they attribute to the newborn, very often the first name of the king or the queen is chosen first or second first name.
Once granted, royal sponsorship is accompanied by a gift, such as a cup, a couple, a spoon, a tray or even a silver timpan, struck by the royal monogram. This present is generally offered to parents during a ceremony organized by the municipal authorities, the latter also giving a gift for the newborn. The latter then receives a card signed by his godfather – or his godmother – on each anniversary.
Nearly 600 godchildren for King Baudouin
During his 42 years of reign, King Baudouin was a godfather of 594 boys as part of this royal custom. A situation made possible by the baby boom from the 1950s and 1960s. Queen Fabiola, she had 260 goddaughters.
More recently, in 2012, King Albert II and Queen Paola had 31 godchildren and 33 godchildren respectively.
The last royal sponsorship was granted in 2022 by King Philippe, who became godfather of a boy named Joseph, from Charleroi. In 2020, Queen Mathilde became the godmother of a little girl named Hyle, who became her third goddaughter.
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